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JUST IN: Reps Probe ₦1.5bn Allegedly Diverted By Women Affairs Ministry

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The House of Representatives Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development is probing the ₦1.5bn meant for the payment of contractors, but allegedly diverted by principal officers of the Ministry of Women Affairs.

The Director of Finance of the ministry, Aloy Ifeakandu, during an interactive session with the committee on Thursday, said he only complied with official directives from his superiors, saying the records were available.The session followed a petition by contractors of the ministry to the House of Representatives, over non-payment of contracts executed running into billions of naira.Speaking during the interactive session, Chairman of the committee, Hon. Kafilat Ogbara alluded that the ministry initiated new contracts not captured in the 2023 budget and diverted (₦1.5bn) funds for old contractors.She added that the ministry while owing contractors, awarded fresh contracts in 15 states of the federation, similarly not captured in the 2023 appropriation.

“Money for contractors has not been paid and money has been diverted, so how do you pay these contractors” She asked.She said there is an ongoing probe of the ministry by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) on overhead release of November/December, 2023, to the tune of ₦1.5bn.The petitioners, according to Ogbara also alleged that the ministry purchased seven tricycles for a military Barack in Abuja, an allegation a procurement officer of the ministry denied.Continuing, the committee noted that the ministry signed a memorandum of understanding MoU with the American University of Nigeria, Yola for the payment of Chibok girls’ school fees for seven years.

Responding to some of the allegations, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Ambassador Gabriel Aduda who exonerated himself, explained that in “2023 we had a total budget of ₦13.6bn. The total release was ₦3.4bn, translating to 25 per cent, budget utilisation ₦3.4bn, while unreleased balance stood at N10.2bn”.However, the DFA, said “I resumed at the ministry in September 2023, I wouldn’t know what happened before I came.“The individual contractors have their files, it can be traced, as at the time I took over, there was no balance in the vote” he said.Amidst the controversy, correspondence from the office of the Accountant General of the federation revealed that the said ₦1.5 bn has been released to the ministry.

“Since the minister came on board, no payment has been made, the permanent secretary said the minister ordered him not to pay any contractor” the petitioners said.Meanwhile, the committee has summoned the minister of women affairs and social development, Uju Kennedy-Ohaneye, to appear on Tuesday.“We are giving till Tuesday for the ministry to bring all documents to come and defend where the N1.5bn disappeared to”.The committee also ordered the ministry to stop all contract processes in 2024, “until we resolve this matter”.Additionally, the committee also sought to see the special account for the Chibok girls and the MoU.“We want to see the account and documents” Ogbara added

Crime

BREAKING: Nnamdi Kanu Sacks All Lawyers, To Represent Himself

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The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has informed the Federal High Court in Abuja that he will personally conduct his defense in the ongoing terrorism case brought against him by the Federal Government.

This declaration came during Thursday’s proceedings, following the withdrawal of his legal team, led by senior advocate Kanu Agabi (SAN), alongside other Senior Advocates of Nigeria who had been representing him.

The courtroom was thrown into mild surprise when Mr. Kanu told Justice James Omotosho that he intended to take charge of his own defense, stating his decision to act as his own counsel moving forward.

Justice Omotosho, in response, offered to assign a court-appointed lawyer to assist him, but Mr. Kanu declined the offer, insisting that he would proceed without any legal representation.

The court subsequently adjourned to allow Mr. Kanu to prepare for his defense under the new arrangement.

Mr. Kanu, who has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since his re-arrest and extradition to Nigeria in 2021, faces multiple charges bordering on terrorism, treasonable felony, and incitement.

The self-proclaimed IPOB leader has consistently denied all allegations, maintaining that his movement’s agitation for the independence of Biafra is rooted in self-determination and not in violence or terrorism.

The case, which has drawn both national and international attention, is expected to resume in the coming weeks as Mr. Kanu opens his defense without a legal team.

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Indonesia to Repatriate British Grandmother on Death Row, Says Official

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Indonesia will sign an agreement on Tuesday to repatriate two British nationals convicted of drug-related crimes, including Lindsay Sandiford, a grandmother sentenced to death, according to a senior Indonesian government source.

“The practical arrangement will be signed today. The transfer will be done immediately after the technical side is agreed,” the official told AFP, naming Sandiford and Shahab Shahabadi, 35, as the individuals to be returned to the UK.

Sandiford was sentenced to death in 2013 after she was caught smuggling cocaine worth over $2.1 million into Bali from Thailand. The drugs were discovered concealed in a false bottom of her suitcase. Shahabadi, arrested in 2014, is currently serving a life sentence for separate drug offences.

Although the Indonesian source listed Sandiford’s age as 68, public records indicate she is 69.

A joint press conference with Indonesian officials and the British ambassador to Indonesia was scheduled for later Tuesday, according to the Coordinating Ministry for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration and Correctional Affairs.

Tabloid Attention and Personal Testimony

Sandiford’s case received widespread attention in the UK after she admitted to the offences but claimed she was coerced by a drug syndicate that threatened to kill her son. In a 2015 article published in The Mail on Sunday, Sandiford wrote from prison about her fear of imminent execution:

“My execution is imminent, and I know I might die at any time now. I could be taken tomorrow from my cell. I have started to write goodbye letters to members of my family.”

Originally from Redcar, in northeast England, she also wrote that she planned to sing the Perry Como hit “Magic Moments” before facing the firing squad.

During her time in prison, Sandiford reportedly became close friends with Andrew Chan, one of the “Bali Nine” Australian drug smugglers who was executed in 2015.

Policy Shift on Repatriation

The planned transfer follows recent moves by the Prabowo Subianto administration to repatriate foreign nationals serving harsh sentences for drug crimes. In December 2024, Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipina who spent nearly 15 years on death row, was allowed to return home. In February 2025, Serge Atlaoui, a French national, was repatriated after 18 years on death row.

Indonesia, known for having some of the world’s strictest drug laws, last carried out executions in 2016, when three Nigerian citizens and an Indonesian were executed by firing squad. As of early November 2025, more than 90 foreign nationals remain on death row in the country, all for drug-related offences.

The British Embassy in Jakarta declined to comment, directing inquiries to the Indonesian government.

Indonesian authorities have recently signalled the potential resumption of executions, after nearly a decade-long de facto moratorium.

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Bauchi: Boy,17, plucks sister’s eyes for money ritual

The victim’s father told investigators that the suspect lured his daughter, who shares the same parents, into the bush, where he attacked her and forcefully plucked her eyes.

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Bauchi State Police Command, has arrested a teenager, Auwal Dahiru, aged 17, and five others for having forcefully plucked her sister’s eyes for money ritual.

His accomplishes are Mohammed Rabiu, aged 19; Saleh Ibrahim, aged 20; Nasiru Muhammad of Soro town, Ganjuwa LGA; Hassan Garba of Soro town, Ganjuwa LGA; and Garba Dahiru, aged 43, of Soro town.

The Command PPRO, CSP Mohammed Ahmed Wakil, in a statement made available to journalists in Bauchi on Monday, stated that Auwalu lured his seven-year-old sister to the bush, where her eyes were forcefully removed for ritual purposes.

The PPRO added that on 17 October 2025, at about 18:00 hours, one Muhammad Adamu of Bayan Dutse Village, Wailo, Kubi Ward, Ganjuwa LGA, Bauchi State, reported at the Soro Divisional Police Headquarters that on the same date at about 20:00 hours his daughter, Rukayya Muhammad, aged seven years, was attacked with the intention of killing her and an attempt was made to pluck out her eyes.

“Upon receipt of the report, a team of detectives led by CSP Aliyu Mohammad Goni, Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Soro Division, immediately dispatched to the scene, where the suspects were arrested.

At the same time, the victim was quickly evacuated to Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi, for medical treatment.”

A preliminary investigation’s findings revealed that the seven-year-old girl, Rukayya Muhammad, tragically lost her eyesight permanently after her elder brother allegedly removed both of her eyes in a money ritual, reportedly in a desperate attempt to gain wealth.

The victim’s father told investigators that the suspect lured his daughter, who shares the same parents, into the bush, where he attacked her and forcefully plucked her eyes.

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